


I Love You, Can't You Sea

by miltonicsimile



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Drinking, JiHan, Kidnapping, M/M, Pirate! Jeonghan, Pirates, Prince! Joshua, Swearing, mentioned soonwoo, past jeongcheol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-10-01 21:06:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17251397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miltonicsimile/pseuds/miltonicsimile
Summary: When Joshua is banished to a small remote fishing village by the King, he thinks boredom will be his demise. But one night a handsome pirate with a smile vying the devil's appears in his room, and Joshua doesn't realize his life is about to change forever. He's forced aboard the pirate's ship with the duty to help them find and identify the missing prince so they can turn him in for ransom. As Joshua becomes close to his captor, friends and maybe more, he just wishes he could confess that the prince they're looking for is reallyhim.





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> Hello new year new me i'm trying jihan bc those two are lowkey evil and i love them
> 
> also the title is done ironically don't @ me lmao
> 
> ps happy new years hoes

When the bell towers start to ring, Joshua is still awake. It is late, perhaps a quarter past midnight. It takes him a second to place the sound, to connect the loud incessant ringing with a meaning. _Pirates_. Or, raiders at the very least. Not good, on any account.

Joshua stands, setting aside his guitar and picking up his mostly empty goblet of wine.

He’d had one of the serving girls go down to the cellar and bring him up a flagon, despite his father’s orders for him to cut back his drinking to meals only while here. But after situating Joshua here on one of their more modest seaside estates, simply a grand townhouse in a small fishing village that he forgot the name of out of spite, his father had left. And well, Joshua was accustomed to a certain lifestyle. It had only taken the last of his father’s men to leave the estate’s gate for Joshua to lose the fake smile and start trying to plan how to get out of this mess. That had been nearly two months ago.

He takes his wine, a fine dry red and goes to the window. He looks out beyond, across the tiny village made of fisherman’s houses and small shops. It’s not much at all, not when Joshua is used to the capital city which stretches wide with stately buildings and estates. This village that he’s been sent to surely is not something worthy of raiding, at least, that’s what he had assumed until now.

There’s shouting outside now too, people with torches lighting the streets. Out on the dark seawater, Joshua can barely make out the shape of a ship a bit from shore. It’s almost hidden in the dim light from the sliver of the moon hanging in the sky. It’s a fair size for a vessel from what he can tell though, much grander than anything the local fishermen have.

When the first scream arises from the dark night, a high piercing cry ending in a choke, Joshua takes the final sip of his wine. He doesn’t think the fishermen have much of a chance in fighting. They’re strong men sure, spending hours rowing their boats, pulling in nets and various other hard labour. But they’re ill-equipped for a fight. They won’t have much for swords or other weapons. Not like these raiders are like to have.

He wonders briefly, what the raiders are after. This village is fairly remote, and not terribly wealthy by any standards. Unless the raiding ship was coming from across the sea it would have been out of the way to come here.

Joshua pours himself some more of the wine and takes it back to the window, along with a candle. He watches for a while, the dark movements of people in the night, the torches that burn and move only to go out. He listens to the shouting, the screaming, and the constant ringing of the bell tower. He is intrigued, in a sort of removed bored way. This is the most exciting thing to happen since being banished here.

He doesn’t expect it when his own bedroom door is flung open, hitting the stone wall behind it with a loud bang. His estate was surely the most secure in the whole village, guarded even. Perhaps that false sense of security was the downfall, Joshua realizes. The only things worth guarding are those of value. He’d been a fool, sitting here watching he realizes. A mistake made from vanity and a lifetime of social position.  

The long-haired man who steps into the room is of no doubt a pirate, though Joshua has never had any real experience with them. He’s only ever seen their disgusting crow-pecked bodies hanging, dead and damned. But this man, he’s definitely alive.

He grins at Joshua, eyes looking him up and down like he’s something to be devoured. Then, he leans against the doorframe, crossing his arms, as if this was the most casual meetings.

The bells continue to ring outside.

“What do we have here?” the man asks, that sick grin still on his face. A face that is surprisingly handsome - something Joshua had never considered a pirate to be. His handsomeness is almost the most shocking this about this whole ordeal, and Joshua has to fight to focus on the real matter at hand.

“I could ask you the same thing,” Joshua answers, keeping his voice even, nonchalant. He gets up and pours wine into the second goblet that’d been pushed aside. He picks it up and holds it out to the pirate. “Do you care for a drink?”

The pirate raises an eyebrow, eyes assessing. They’re intelligent, with a pretty curve and sparkle in them that if he’d been born an aristocrat surely would have charmed a nation or two. “And how do I know it’s safe?”

Joshua shrugs, taking a sip from his goblet. “You don’t, I suppose. But I haven’t had the time to poison it, unfortunately. If that’s what you’re fearing.”

Which isn’t completely true. If Joshua had even considered the possibility of danger, he might’ve poisoned the wine. But he probably would have locked himself up in some safer location with guards.

The pirate strides towards him, lazy confidence in his step and gaze that Joshua really has him considering how this man could have been a nobleman in another life. If he wasn’t wearing dirty hempen trousers and a scandalously loose unlaced cotton shirt underneath a well worn and scarred jacket. The jacket actually looks to have been quite fine at one time, with gleaming buttons along the front and intricate roses embroidered on the breast pieces. Joshua assumes it was stolen.

The pirate takes the wine and tilts his head back in a long drink, his eyes closing and Adam's apple bobbing in his throat. When he finishes, a quick reddened tongue quickly licks his lips and he smiles at Joshua.

“Thanks for that, mate.” He says, setting the goblet back down. “I am still going to kidnap you, though.”

“What?” Joshua’s controlled demeanour breaks. He’d been expecting to be robbed, had even begun to mentally list the various jewellery and other items of values his room contains.

The pirate pulls out a curved dagger with a pretty carved handle. He begins to shine it against his shirt, unbothered. “You see, it’s become known that the King’s son, Prince Jisoo has been sent away for causing trouble at court. You know. The kind of trouble only those too wealthy and stupid can make.” He shakes his head and rolls his eyes. “And it’s obvious you’re also a man of affluence.”

Joshua freezes, feeling the pirate’s gaze on him. His fine clothes itch his skin, the rings on his fingers feel heavy, the jewels on his ears feel hot. His heart is pounding harder and harder in his chest, it feels ready to break the skin and jump out onto the stone floor in front of him.

“So, I’m going to ask you one question, and I’m going to need you to be completely honest.” The pirate says, sticking the dagger in front of him, turning it in his wrist slowly to look at his reflection.

Joshua considers his options quickly. The pirate is in front of the door. He’s three storeys up. He isn’t armed. He could try throwing the flagon of wine at the pirate and pushing him down, making a run for the door that way, but it’s all risks. He doubts he could take the other man in a fight. Joshua’s never been one for spending hours in the practice yard running drills, honing fighting skills. And well, despite this pirate’s pretty face, Joshua can see a deep scar on his chest where his shirt hangs open. He’s fought and survived. Probably won.

“Have you met the prince?”

The question takes Joshua off guard.

He’d been prepared for the worse. He still has the advantage here. He can make this work.

He straightens his back and wets his lips. “I have,” Joshua lies. Well, not totally.

Surprisingly, the pirate smirks at him again. “Excellent. Now, you can come with me with a blade to your throat and your hands bound, or just your hands. You choose.”

“Just hands.” He says, subtly and carefully removing his ring on his left hand and dropping it in his back pocket. “Can we bring my guitar?” It's his one necessity, guaranteed comfort in whatever lies ahead. He would feel foolish for asking but it's just one small thing, and well, perhaps the pirates could find him amusing. Being liked would help in escape.

The pirate nods and goes to Joshua’s bed and rips off the curtains surrounding it. He tears off a long strip and grab’s Joshua’s arm, pulling it behind him. He ties Joshua’s wrists quickly and tightly.

“Before we go, I have one question about the prince.” The pirate says, standing in front of Joshua, eyes narrowed. “Since you’re going to be the one to help us find the damn bastard, so the king will pay the ransom, you better know him on sight. But if you’re not there someone else may have to pick him out. How would you describe him?”

Joshua shakes his head, cursing his father for banishing him to this godforsaken fishing village. It wasn’t even like he’d done anything wrong. He’d been trying to make alliances with other kingdoms, some of which involved sleeping with a married princess or two. His father’s accusations of trying to start a war had been too harsh.

“Foolish.” He answers, his royal signet ring heavy in his pocket.

☠

After being pushed through the dark and dirty streets of the village, passing bodies bleeding out and left for dead, Joshua finds himself in a rowboat with his captor along with a handful of other pirates. The night air tastes like the sea and is cool against Joshua's skin. Goosebumps rise on his arms, bound behind his back. His ragged breathing has calmed some, though his heart still pounds loudly in his chest.

“Bloody hell, Han,” one of the pirate’s curses with an impressed smile, rowing and sitting across from where Joshua is sitting in the boat, wrists bound. He’s handsome too, but in an entirely different way from Joshua’s captor. He’s all sharp features and laughing eyes. Joshua wonders faintly if the tales of dirty, ugly, nasty pirates were all lies. Or maybe this group is exceptionally good looking. “Where did you find this one?”

His captor, Han, shrugs slightly. He moves like he knows he's good-looking. “Where I always find them, Seokmin. In the big pretty houses. I’m just lucky enough he actually knows the prince, unlike any of the other’s I’ve tried.”

Joshua considers this as he’s rocked by the waves. The pirates are rowing quickly, the small boats filled with the few goods they considered worth stealing. Most of it looks like it’s from his own house. He wonders how many others have been woken up in the middle of the night to pirates in their villages and towns. He wonders what these pirates would do if they knew that the prince they were looking for is already on their boat.

When they finally reach the pirate’s ship, Joshua finds himself surprised by the size. It’s bigger than he had assumed looking from his bedroom window. But he’s used to massive vessels for travelling comfortably, as fit for royalty. This ship is big enough to carry cargo, but sleekly designed. It’s meant for speed he realizes. For chasing down and taking ships and leaving just as quickly.

“Up you go,” Han, his captor with the long dark hair says to him. He quickly unties Joshua’s wrists, so he can climb the ladder on the side of the ship up to the deck.

He climbs as quickly as he can, feeling the gaze of all the pirates waiting in their rowboats still beneath. The wood of the ladder is slippery though, and the ship is rocking slowly in the waves.

He gasps sharply when his foot slips but quickly feels a firm hand on his lower back.

“Don’t worry, I got you,” Han says, a low chuckle in his voice. It’s a surprisingly kind gesture coming from a pirate, especially one that just kidnapped him and threatened to put a blade to his throat.

Joshua just nods and finishes the climb as quickly as he can.

Once on the deck of the ship, Joshua finds himself surrounded by mean looking pirates who look ready to eat him alive. They all stop their movements of readying the ship to set sail to stare at him. He feels hot and vulnerable under their gaze, but he’s never been one to let it show. He stares back.

When Han appears behind him and wraps an arm around Joshua’s shoulders, pushing him forwards. His breath feels hot against Joshua's ear as he whispers, “behave and I won’t have to tie you up, again.”

When Joshua winces slightly at the unpleasant thought, of how uncomfortable it had been with his arms behind him and the makeshift rope digging into his skin.

It makes Han chuckle lowly in his ear. “Unless that’s what you’re into.”

“Jeonghan!” a deep, commanding voice calls. Joshua lets the dirty implications slide past as he looks around and finds man appears from the top deck of the shift. He’s clearly the captain, the best dressed of the lot and carries himself in a way that makes it obvious to someone like Joshua, trained to see those in power.

“Aye, ‘Cheol.” His captor calls back with a lazy smile. It’s not in the way Joshua would expect a sailor to respond to their superior, too casual, too cocky.

The captain glances around the ship, noticing the staring faces. “Watch your mouth.” He orders, joining them.

“Aye, Captain,” Jeonghan says with a roll of his eyes.

“Who is this?” he asks, gesturing to Joshua. “I told you lot that you could play with anything you found, take your fun in them but leave them behind.”

The meaning of his words make Joshua want to cringe, but he keeps his expression neutral. He can’t appear weak in front of men like this.

“This one’s a _nobleman_ ,” Jeonghan supplies, saying the word like it’s a joke. “and he knows the prince. He’ll be able to help us find him, identify him.”

The captain looks Joshua up and down again, reassessing him with this knowledge. The captain is an interesting looking man, though not terribly tall. He has a strong jaw and brows, but full lips and big brown eyes and long lashes, features that could be pretty on a woman but just make Joshua want to stare at the juxtaposition of features. It’s hard for him to see in the dim light, but he seems handsome, too. “What’s your name?”

“Joshua,” he says, giving the private family nickname he’s had since he was a child. No one outside of the royal family knows it, and he finds himself lucky that he won’t have to struggle to lie about this one thing. That’s the best way to lie he’s learned - when it’s based on truths.

“I’m Seungcheol, the captain of this ship, the _Dragon’s Wings_.” He says, looking him in the eyes. “and it appears you’ve been taken captive, my dear. If you’re on board you’re required to work, just like everyone else. Cleaning the deck, helping with food maybe, and sails if you know it. You’ll take orders, just like anyone else. If you try to escape or lie about the prince, you’ll find yourself dead quickly enough.”

Joshua just nods, eyes wide.

“Oh, and Jeonghan?” the captain reaches out and touches the other man’s shoulder as he passes. “you brought him on this ship, you’re the one in charge of keeping him alive. If the crew get to him, and he turns out useless, you’re to blame. But you should be fine, right? You’ve kept yourself here long enough now.” Then he turns to the rest of the crew and shouts. “Back to work! Let’s sail!”

“What was that last bit about?” Joshua manages to ask after the captain has passed and the rest of the crew are working again.

Jeonghan gives him a side glance, mouth a thin line. “He’s afraid a pretty boy like you may find yourself at the mercy of the crew.” He pauses, lifting a brow. “so, I would recommend you chose the lesser of those evils and sleep by me. I promise I won’t bite. Again, unless that’s what you’re into.”

Below deck, it reeks like unwashed bodies and fish. When Jeonghan shows him the hammock he’s to sleep in he also tosses an old wool blanket that might have been white at one time but is a greyish brown now. “That’s a good one, mine, actually,” Jeonghan says, removing his once-fine jacket and hanging it on a peg. Joshua’s guitar somehow made it down here as well. It seems out of place, a comfort but one that should never belong here in the first place. “it doesn’t have lice.”

Despite having been sent away months ago now, Joshua suddenly feels homesick for the very first time.

☠

After the first day onboard the _Dragon’s Wings,_ Joshua finds himself doing many things he’d never thought he’d have to do. He scrubs the deck, at which one of the other crew members, Chan, does nothing but laugh at him when he asks _how_. He peels potatoes in the tiny kitchen below deck with the giant of a cook, Mingyu.

He also can take in the beauty of the ship itself, the name fitting for how the sails look like huge wings in the sky. And the sea is beautiful too, Joshua sometimes forgets that. But it’s a stunning sight in the full of the sun of the day, the purest blue dazzling all around them. He also learns how small the ship really is, confining them all together in this small space floating on the endless waters.

By the time evening rolls around, Joshua’s skin is warm and golden, tanned from the sun. He’d forgotten how easily he does that. And his muscles are sore, his knees bruising. He isn’t used to any hard work.

“Do you want me to show you how to tie some knots?” Jeonghan asks him when Joshua emerges with his bowl of stew for supper. It’s the first time he’s seen the other man all day, besides this morning when Jeonghan had rolled him out of his hammock and onto the hard-wooden floor below deck.

“Uh, yeah, sure,” Joshua answers, mostly because he wants company as he eats. The rest of the crew is still wary of him, the whistling and stares dissipating since last night somehow. He had been preparing himself for the worst, but so far, he’s been largely left alone.

Jeonghan leads him to the side of the ship where some rope lays on the deck, the rest of it tied to something over the side he can’t see. They sit down on the deck like that, both with their dented tin bowls of stew.

“This probably isn’t up to par with what you’re used to,” Jeonghan says, taking a bite. “but you’ll have to get used to it, we all did.”

Joshua nods. “It’s not as bad as I thought I’d be.”

“Helping make the food always makes it tastes better, or at least, that’s what I’ve found.”

“Maybe that’s it.” Joshua allows with a shrug. He wishes he could go back to that damn fishing village.

They eat in silence for a few minutes. Joshua watches Jeonghan, finally able to take in the other man with proper lighting and not just candlelight and moon.

He’s handsome, even almost pretty. He has delicate features and smooth skin along with his long hair that’s tied back. He alludes masculinity though, with his broad shoulders and the dark stubble below his lip and on his jaw.

“Has any of the crew given you any trouble?” Jeonghan asks, scanning the deck. Everyone is eating or finishing up. Some have brought out cards, dice, other games and have started to gather around to play and gamble.

“No,” Joshua says, shaking his head. “Everyone’s just kind of ignored me. Well, except for Chan.”

“Chan?”

“He laughed at me,” Joshua explains, grabbing the rope.

“Why?” Jeonghan asks, leaning forward.

He knows he’s going to be laughed at again, but Joshua answers honestly anyways. “Because I didn’t know how to clean the deck.”

Jeonghan does laugh, a full sound that draws the attention of the rest of the crew to them. When he finishes, he grabs the rope from Joshua’s hands and shakes his head. “Well, then. I guess I better be teaching you how to do some knots, so you can keep from embarrassing yourself further.”

And honestly, despite his absolute shit circumstances, Joshua is grateful. If he had to have been kidnapped by pirates, he’s glad the one who took him isn’t a complete monster. Though, looks may be deceiving. That’s what people always say about him.

☠

By the time the moon full, hanging heavy and round in the sky like the egg of a dragon, Joshua has surprisingly adapted to life on the ship. He no longer goes to bed with aching muscles and he’s grown accustomed to the rocking of the ship. He's found he doesn't mind the hard work either, despite never having done any prior. He, In fact, he finds he sleeps easier with it like he’s a babe back in the cradle.

They’ve taken two ships while Joshua’s been on board. Both times they were quick things, the crew moving as one to collect as many valuable goods as need and he only saw one man get a sword through the chest. It wasn’t as bad as he thought it might be, just a reminder everyone’s just a sack of meat at the end of the day, though. Not much of a comfort for a prince who’s been taken captive by pirates that don’t know he’s a prince. Seungcheol is a smart and capable caption, he cares for the crew and treats piracy as a calculation. Sack a cargo ship quickly, but with the least damage and risk to the crew. It's impressive.

The last of the two ships was taken three days past. Now, they’ve found themselves at dead sea. No winds and the crew have become restless, Joshua included. He’s also found after the pirate’s small petty games run out and bore them, the only pastime it appears is drinking.

“Don’t you think the two of them look alike!” Seokmin, the handsome one with the sharp features and a warm smile says. He turns out to be one of Jeonghan’s best friends. He’s also terrible at holding his liquor. “They even kind of have the same feel, you know?”

“Like they’re holding back!” Seungkwan, a younger crew member with round cheeks known for being too loud, especially when around Seokmin. He's entirely too likeable in Joshua's opinion. “I swear I see both of them watching all the time like they’re gathering information, waiting to strike.”

Joshua laughs at this, turning to look at Jeonghan beside him. His profile is all smooth lines and careful curves. He’s laughing too though, waving away the accusations with his slender hand. When he drops it, it lands on Joshua's thigh, unbothered.

“I think they’re just both cheats,” Mingyu comments, crossing his arms across his chest. “they both always win at cards and dice, and I _know_ they’re cheating. But they’ll never admit to it.”

Joshua doesn’t know how Jeonghan has amassed a skill in slight of hands and cheating in games, but he has through years of bettering his stupid aristocratic peers. When he realized some games there’s just chance and luck, well, Joshua figured he didn’t like those odds. He always wanted to win. And no one would accuse a sweet-faced prince of all people of cheating.

“You’re a sore loser, ‘Gyu,” Jeonghan says with a shrug, taking another drink of his rum. “Keep trying though.”

“Just so you can cheat me some more! No way!” Mingyu pouts. He can act surprisingly childish for such a large person, Joshua’s come to realize. Maybe that’s part of the reason.

They all laugh at that.

“Hey, tell us about the prince,” Seungkwan says, laying flat on his back, looking up at the sky. “What’s he like?”

Joshua has carefully avoided saying too much about the prince until now. He’s answered Captain Seungcheol’s questions the first few days and then it was dismissed as if his entire purpose on this ship was forgotten.

“Well, he’s fairly young. About my age.” He answers carefully. He’s just saying things they already know. “He’s about average height, smaller build. He’s handsome.”

Jeonghan wraps an around him and pulls him close. It's become a familiar enough gesture by now, and Joshua has grown accustomed to Jeonghan's ocean smell and smooth muscles holding him close. “ _Borring_.” He groans, laughing. “Give us details!”

“I don’t know him that well, honestly,” Joshua says, looking down at his feet. They’re bare and have gotten rough walking against the wood of the deck. “He’s been described to look a bit like a cat, maybe? Quiet?”

It’s Seokmin to throw his head back in laughter and go, “Come on! That doesn’t help at all. That could be you!”

Joshua shrugs.

“How about that guitar of yours?” Jeonghan says, breath hot against his ear. He squeezes Joshua's thigh with his hand. “Why don’t you show us if you can play.”

Joshua goes below deck to grab his guitar, and when he turns around, he finds Jeonghan waiting for him.

“Oh. Hey,” he says quietly. There are other crew members asleep in the hammocks, enjoying the rest time.

“Hey, yourself,” Jeonghan says, smiling at him. It’s a dangerous smile, one that’s come out with the rum, Joshua realizes. “You never do say much, do you? But they’re right, I’ve seen you watching. What is that you’re planning? What goes on in that pretty head of yours?”

And then he takes a step closer, and though Joshua’s had some to drink too, he can smell the liquor on Jeonghan’s breath, and the heat rising from his body. Jeonghan’s staring at him with his piercing gaze, and he feels like prey. He’s never one to be the prey, he’s a prince. He’s spent his whole life being the predator.

Joshua smiles, holding his gaze. He doesn’t trust Jeonghan, he can’t. “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”

And before Jeonghan makes some witty remark back, the captain is coming down the stairs, frowning. “Stop loitering about. Go above deck if you’re going to play that thing too,” he says, pointing at the guitar in Joshua’s hand. “people are trying to sleep down here.”

“Aye, captain.”

Joshua spends the better of the day playing his guitar for the crew, no need for coaxing them into singing. They’re a loud bunch, with a couple of truly talented singers among them. It’s great fun, and Joshua can almost forget himself. Forget that he’s a prince, that he’s been kidnapped and forced to work on some damn pirate ship with thieves and ruffians. It turns out they make better company than kings or princesses.

☠

The next day there’s a strong wind in their sails.

“We’re headed for a pirate island, one we can sell some of the treasures and buy booze and new booty.” Jeonghan lets out a low chuckle at that, before rolling over in his hammock, hungover and ignoring the world.

Joshua goes above, and leans against the ship, watching as the island slowly comes into view.

“Are you going to come ashore?” Chan asks him, appearing to his right. “It’s quite the place. Nowhere else like it out there.”

He shrugs. He has no reason to go ashore, he has nothing to sell besides his royal signet ring that’s somehow managed to remain hidden. And he doesn’t want to buy anything, no interest in the likely disease-ridden booty for sale.

“What about if Jeonghan is feeling better by the time we’re there?” Chan asks, looking up at him. “Will you go then?”

Joshua’s unsure how that would make a difference, so he shrugs again. “I’m not sure. I’m not sure what I would do there besides look around and gawk, make myself the obvious outsider. Probably put me in danger.”

“See,” Chan says like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “that’s why you need Jeonghan!”

Joshua laughs at that, shaking his head. “We’ll see.”

A few hours later when they’re dropping anchor on the shores of the pirate island, Jeonghan does emerge from below deck. His hair is in a messy pile on the back oh his head, and he has a five o’clock shadow, but other than that, he looks as good as ever. There is something about him, more than his good looks that were attractive Joshua is beginning to realize. It was the way he moved with lazy confidence, the curve of his smile and eyes when he laughed, the sound of his voice.

“How do you still look good, even when hungover?”

Jeonghan flashes him a quick grin, putting on his jacket with a flourish. “You think I’m good looking?”

“Oh, shut up. You know you are.” Joshua rolls his eyes. “that’s not the point. The point is how can you manage to drink so much and live on this filthy ship and still look above average.”

Jeonghan laughs and then smiles at him softly, kindly. “Well, I’m absolutely flattered. You should see me after we visit my favourite place on the island, though. Save the compliments for then.”

He starts heading to the side of the ship to descend into one of the rowboats waiting below. Joshua follows him, curious. “What’s your favourite place on the island?”

“Wait and see.”

The island is smaller than Joshua thought possible. It seems so absolutely full of everything, of shops and people and taverns. It turns out Jeonghan’s favourite place is the public bathhouse.

Jeonghan pays for them both to go in, smiling coquettishly and flirting unabashedly with the owner, a round middle-aged woman with several missing teeth.

When Jeonghan starts stripping in front of them, Joshua looks away quickly, cheeks heating. He’s used to bodies, to male bodies especially after living in such close quarters on the ship. But he still finds himself overwhelmed by _Jeonghan’s_ body.

“Come on,” Jeonghan says with a laugh. “you too.”

He glances back over and Jeonghan’s just smirking at him, in all his naked glory.

“Right here?” Joshua asks, looking around them. They’re still at the front, the woman looking unphased by Jeonghan’s antics. He doesn’t know much about public baths, he’ll admit that. But Joshua’s sure you’re supposed to be allowed some dignity in undressing at least.

“Yeah, here. Mrs. Jeon is a friend of mine and will look after our things, so some rat doesn’t steal them.” He leans over and presses a quick kiss to her red cheek. “And wash them, right?”

That’s a very kind gesture, Joshua thinks as he begins to strip. He’s wearing the same clothes he’d had one when he’d left the village that night. They’re simple clothes, finer made than anyone else’s on the ship. But they’re his, and the last connection he has to his royal life.

He hands them over to Mrs. Jeon and then tries to casually drape his hands in front of him, preserving the last of his dignity. He knows there's no point in it, especially not with Jeonghan here.

“Thank you.” He manages as Mrs. Jeon hands him some small hard lumps of soap. Before he can thank her again, Jeonghan his wrapping an arm around his shoulders, just like he always does, and guiding him into the bathhouse. He seems internally unbothered by their lack of clothing, and Joshua wishes he could be the same, his cheeks heating.

He tries not to look at Jeonghan, at his naked body bared for all to see, but it’s hard. Joshua’s eyes are drawn to him, unable to help from taking in the lean muscles of his arms and legs, the smooth toned skin of his stomach, the dark hair between his legs.

It’s small inside, a series of connecting rooms that just appear to be built over natural springs. The air around them is warm and aromatic from the salts and whatever natural remedies must have been added to the waters. It has an otherworldly feel like they can't be on some pirate island, they can't even be on this planet. This is an entirely separate plane of existence, and it's just him and Jeonghan. And they're very naked.

Jeonghan finds them an empty room and slowly slips into the warm water. He disappears underneath immediately, and it catches Joshua off guard. He sits down at the edge of the spring to watch, and when Jeonghan pops his head up out of the water between his knees, he gives a tight-lipped grin.

Joshua does his best to ignore the fact he is very naked in front of Jeonghan who is equally naked. But he’s still bared out of the water and on display, unlike the other man. He can feel Jeonghan's eyes on him, his body.

“If you spend so much time on the ship, I can see why this is your favourite place.” Joshua manages, reaching down and giving a little splash at Jeonghan below him. He's trying to act normal, ignore the very present vulnerabilities.

Jeonghan, the charming man he is, squirts a mouthful of water at Joshua’s face then laughs and dives back underneath the water.

“Hey!” He calls out, livid, getting into the water and chasing after him. It’s deeper than he had anticipated, and he finds his feet struggling to find leverage. He resorts to simply swimming, reaching out and grabbing Jeonghan by the ankle and pulling him back.

“Wow,” Jeonghan says when Joshua manages to wrap his around his waist and stop him. His body is warm and solid beneath Joshua's touch. “I didn’t think some nobleman would know how to catch me.”

Joshua, gifted with rather large hands, uses one to splash him right in the face. “Fuck off.”

Jeonghan just laughs, the sound reverberating against the walls. “’Shua, I’m tired. I need to steam the booze out of me. Be nice.”

The nickname catches him off guard, but Joshua doesn’t question it. Instead, he simply fills his lungs and lays out on his back. The water is warm, almost hot, and _oh god,_ Joshua can’t remember the last time he had a bath. Perhaps a few days before he’d been kidnapped? That’d been weeks ago now.

Jeonghan follows his lead, and the two of them float in the water, letting the dirt and grime of life at sea wash off them. They’ve grown comfortable together, and Joshua isn’t sure if it’s because Jeonghan’s the one who took him and had to follow Seungcheol’s orders to watch after him, or if it’s because they do seem to be alike in nature. Some nights before he falls asleep he looks over at the other man next to him and begins to wonder if they were somehow always meant to find each. He can't imagine his life without Jeonghan in it now, a constant and necessity he didn't know he needed until recently.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” Jeonghan says, voice soft, relaxed. It's not his usual teasing flirtatious voice. It's just - Jeonghan, authentic and unworried.

“How did you become a pirate?”

Jeonghan chuckles softly, and when Joshua turns to look over at him, he sees that the other man’s eyes are closed as he floats in the water. “Why? Have you been thinking about where I get my good looks? Have you imagined my father as some notorious pirate captain with missing limbs but still handsome as ever, and my mother as a fair and beautiful mermaid?”

“No,” Joshua laughs, moving his hand slowly back in forth in the warm water. He watches the little whirlpools swirl under his command.“I just want to know how you found yourself on board the _Dragon’s Wings._ Surely you weren’t kidnapped like me.”

“No,” Jeonghan admits. “My mother was a whore,” he says like it’s a simple thing to say. Maybe it is, but it still makes Joshua sit up in the water. “and my father was a nobleman, like you. Or, at least that’s what she always claimed. Regardless, by the time I was nine I was too old to be hanging around the brothel anymore. It was one in a larger city, not too far from the capital. Anyways, you are not the first to have noticed my dashing good looks, and even back then they were getting attention.”

“You were handsome, even as a child?”

“The whores called me Angel,” Jeonghan says as if that answers everything. “My mother decided that to keep me safe, or at least _safer_ , I was to take up work on a ship. She wanted something more for me than to be a whore I think. So, I became a cabin boy. On an honest ship, mind you.”

Joshua looks at the other man in the water, his long hair spread around him like some dark halo. He tries to imagine Jeonghan as a whore, being called Angel by strangers for a few coins. He doesn’t think the other man has it in him, to lie back and obey. Too much fight, too much hunger for control. But Jeonghan really is beautiful, the name Angel not far off. Though, as a pirate with a bit of a mean streak, one might consider him fallen. Joshua doesn't mind.

“Then how did you end up a pirate?”

“When I was fifteen the ship I was on got taken,” he sits up in the water, chin bobbing on the surface, mischievous eyes on Joshua. “the pirate captain gave me a choice. I could walk the plank or join his crew. He later told me he saw something inside me that was begging to be let out. An evil within me.”

“There’s evil within everyone.”

“Aye, I think you’re right.”

Jeonghan lays back again, floating in the water in front of Joshua. His body is fully on display, all smooth lean lines, soft supple skin. He has a fair share of scars including the one on his chest and a few bruises. One tattoo above his hipbone of a mermaid with monstrous teeth.

He can’t look at Jeonghan anymore. Not before he does something he might regret. Instead, he reaches over the side and grabbed the soap Mrs. Jeon had given them. Joshua rubs the soap into a lather in his hands then reaches out to Jeonghan, putting his fingers to the other man’s scalp.

“Oh, you’re good at that,” Jeonghan gasps softly at the touch. “Keep going.”

With that little bit of praise, he does. Joshua washes the other man’s long hair, fingertips working circles across his head and then combing out the ends slowly. He works methodically, the task a nice easy distracting one. The sounds of appreciation made by Jeonghan make it worth it.

“Want me to wash the rest of you?”

Jeonghan hums, rinsing his hair. Then he swims towards Joshua, so they are close, face to face. His eyes are hooded, as if fully relaxed, appreciating being taken care of.

Joshua lathers the soap so more in his hands then began to work it all over Jeonghan. He presses into the muscles on his back, massaging them and releasing any tension. He moves down Jeonghan’s arms and then his hands find their way to Jeonghan’s chest. His large hands lay flat against it, and he can’t help but stare at the large white scar between them.

Joshua licks his lips, unable to proceed. He asks the question he's been burning to ask since they've met. “How did you get that?”

“Seungcheol,” Jeonghan says, giving him a half-smile. “it’s healed now. Don’t worry about it.”

His hands moved up and down on Jeonghan’s chest. Joshua can feel his heartbeat, steady and even, unlike his own. “Tell me.”

“Sailors get lonely, stuck for months at a time at sea.” He says softly, eyes locked on Joshua’s, looking for understanding. It takes only a flicker of a moment before he does. “Sometimes they seek comfort in one another, bonds already formed. But sometimes things have different meanings for different people.”

“Why did he do this to you?” Joshua asks, voice low. He wants a plain answer, not any of Jeonghan’s lyrical roundabouts of truth.

“He has a soft spot for me. Haven’t you noticed? Everyone else has.” Jeonghan lets the smile drop and something akin to hurt and maybe anger slips into his voice. “He wanted me to be his. And well, I’m no one’s, ‘Shua.”

“So, he tried to kill you?”

“Don’t you remember being a kid? You didn’t want to share toys, and if you couldn’t have it, no one could?” Jeonghan’s smile reappears, but his eyes are sad. “You must have, come on. I bet you grew up in a big fancy house with more toys than you could ever play with. But I’m sure when the other little rich aristocratic children came to play you threw fits when they touched your toys.”

Joshua understands the analogy well enough. He still doesn’t understand how the captain could try to kill Jeonghan.

“We got into a row one day, days after we’d ended things. I’d done it because I knew he was getting attached and I knew things were just going to end up with me dead or a joke to the crew.”

“And you chose _dead_?” Joshua frowns, hitting Jeonghan’s chest. “You stupid, vain-”

“And well, I get a bit mouthy when I’m drinking. I provoked him and the next second he had his cutlass out and there was a gash on my chest.” Jeonghan says, shrugging. “I had my cutlass quickly enough, gave him a nice scar on his arm too. The crew pulled us apart. Later he apologized, said he was in the wrong and he shouldn’t expect his crew to respect him if he can’t respect us.”

“You could’ve died,” Joshua whispered, fingers running along the scar. He envisions Jeonghan's chest cut open, the blood gushing down, his breathing laboured. It hurts, knowing how badly Jeonghan must-have. It would have been terrifying, especially aboard the ship, no real doctors for miles.

Jeonghan laughs, pulling away. “Yeah, well, I didn’t. Now, do you want me to wash your hair, too? I suppose that’s what you’re used to, rich boy.”

Joshua just splashes him in the face. 

Later, when they’re getting their clean clothes back from Mrs. Jeon, he’s too distracted thinking to pay much attention when she pulls Jeonghan aside. Joshua is seeing the captain in an entirely new light with this new information, and well, some things are starting to make more sense.

Jeonghan buys him a compass at the one the shops and they head back the ship. Tells him it will always help him find his way. Joshua doesn’t think he’ll need it, not when Jeonghan's always by his side.

☠

Only a few days have passed when they raid a seaside town in the dead of the night. This time, Joshua takes Jeonghan’s hand and is led into town. Jeonghan’s hand is rough from life aboard the ship, but it’s warm and strong, and by now, welcome and familiar.

He’s managed to keep the questions about the prince at bay while trying to pry information about what the crew _does_ know about the prince. He’s found out that since word got out of his banishment, everyone is looking for him. Some for the thrill of simply finding the hidden prince, some for leverage, to ransom him. Some want to kill him. It turns out that Jeonghan is not alone in his intentions, though, Joshua wonders if anyone else is suffering in hopes of locating him.

“There’s a noble family that lives here with a young son,” Jeonghan whispers to him, leading him up a dark dirt street. The town is still silent, their arrival unknown still. “he’s the right age to friends with the prince. Maybe the prince is hiding here even.”

“Maybe,” Joshua says, following close behind. He doesn’t want to tell Jeonghan that the prince is right there, you’ve already found him.

By the time they reach the aristocratic estate, a large stone house with towers at the top of the hill, the bells are tolling their arrivals. Joshua doesn’t know who lives here, and he prays it stays that way. He doesn’t know what he will do if Jeonghan forces them to interrogate someone that Joshua does know, and they point to _him_ as the prince being searched for.

“The guards will go down, trying to help.” Jeonghan says, “those who don’t, well…” he pulls out his cutlass and flashes a sly grin.

They go in the servant’s entrance, which is dark and abandoned for the night. They go through the kitchens and up to a flight of stairs until they’re in what appears to be a parlour type room. Jeonghan leads him up another flight of stairs to where the household bedrooms must be, and Joshua follows, throat feeling tight and his heart racing.

“Not all nobles are as foolish as you in their comfort,” Jeonghan whispers as they peer into doors. “most when they hear the warning bells go and hide.”

“I never thought someone would go after _me_ ,” Joshua whispers back harshly. He’d already explained why he hadn’t gone and hidden, had watched with a _candle_ in the window, never worrying about himself. Jeonghan had laughed so hard he’d fallen out of his hammock.

“Which is odd, I would have thought people go after pretty boys like you all the time.” Jeonghan flashes him a dirty smile again before stopping in front of a door with light coming out beneath it. He slowly tries the doorknob, wiggling his brows when it turns easily.

He pushes in with confidence, cutlass out. “Good evening,” he says, as charismatic as ever.

Joshua follows him cautiously.

The room is a bedroom, more lavishly furnished than his own back at the village his father had left him at. But far from the quality of the royal residence in the capital. There’s a young girl inside, her long dark hair in a heavy braid on her back. She’s standing in front of her desk, the blade of a letter opener in hand.

“Get out, or I’ll scream.” She tells them.

“Oh, don’t worry. You’re not who we’re looking for.” Jeonghan sighs, glancing over at Joshua. “Do you know her?”

He looks at the girl again. She’s probably fourteen, maybe fifteen. Too young to have gone to court to play games of politics, or to be used as a pawn in one yet.

“No.” He says honestly, shaking his head.

Jeonghan sighs. “Do you by any chance know the location of Prince Jisoo. I’ll know if you’re lying and slit your kneecaps if you do.”

Joshua turns to him and gives him a half horrified-half impressed look at the threat.

She shakes her head, the letter opener shaking in her hands. “No. No one does. The king sent him off to some fishing village I heard my father say, but not here.”

“Have you met him? Do you know what he looks like?”

“No…I’ve heard my cousins say he’s handsome, pretty lips.” She lowers her weapon, considering the question. “My cousin said he wasn’t anything like what he seemed.”

“What does that mean?”

She bites her lip. “Everyone underestimates him. He’s soft-spoken and terribly polite, but he was the one always cheating when gambling. He was the one amassing a following and trying to start a war. He’s not what you’d expect is what I’ve been told. And to stay away.”

Jeonghan lifts a brow. “Your father wasn’t interested in trying to marry you off to him? The crown prince would be a powerful match.”

“No. My father doesn’t want me to marry a man he can’t control. One he can’t anticipate the moves from.” She says, the bells still ringing outside. “You better go. If you’re looking for prince Jisoo, he’s not here.”

Joshua wishes she were right.

☠

Joshua spends weeks on board the _Dragon’s Wings_. He begins to wonder if his father knows he’s been kidnapped if there are people out searching for him. He wonders if his father even cares at this point, after what Joshua did. He’s an only child, but the king could father more.

He’s only dragged along in two other raids, each time following Jeonghan into some nobleman’s house and integrating whoever of standing they find inside. Luckily, no one recognizes him. Most of the important family figures are at court for the season, those left behind wouldn’t know him, not for certain. Not as a pirate.

Joshua wakes one night wildly rocking in his hammock, the crash of waves loud outside. The sound of rain beating down on the deck above him is incessantly loud, like the hooves of racehorses. There’s a clap of thunder too, and he jumps.

There’s one lamp burning, hanging from a peg near the centre of the hammocks. Even in the dim light, Joshua can see he’s the only one down here. He stops, no. Jeonghan is still in the hammock next to him.

“Han,” he says, then realizes it’s not loud enough. “ _Hannie_ ,” he tries again, louder, reaching out to touch Jeonghan’s shoulder.

Jeonghan doesn’t move, but Joshua can tell he’s awake.

He gets up and goes to the other side of the hammock, struggling for balance as the ship rides the waves. There's another crash of thunder outside and he flinches.

Jeonghan’s all wrapped up in his blankets, knuckles white, eyes scrunched closed. He looks in pain.

“Hannie?” he says again, reaching out and touching Jeonghan’s face softly. “What’s wrong?”

Jeonghan’s eyes flicker open and the usual spark in them is gone. Instead, they’re just pleading, and Joshua doesn’t know what for.

“Come here,” he says, wrapping his arms around the other man who grabs a hold of him tight. Jeonghan pulls him into the hammock with him, intertwining their limbs so they’re as one it seems.

“You can’t be a sailor afraid of storms,” Joshua whispers, lips pressing against Jeonghan’s hair. “that’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”

“I’m not,” Jeonghan says, squeezing him closer. He's touched Joshua plenty, but never like this, never this desperate for comfort. “I get nightmares though when storms come sometimes. Not always, sometimes I’m fine if I’m awake before it comes. But if I’m sleeping and one rolls in…I don’t know what it does, but I can’t deal with it.”

Joshua nods, taking this in. He would have never suspected Jeonghan to be plagued by something like this, it pulls at his heartstrings. He’s always had to fight for everything, and even in his sleep, he can’t find comfort.

“What do you normally do?” He asks, stroking Jeonghan’s hair.

“Seokmin usually stays with me. But I guess they needed him above deck tonight.”

“The captain doesn’t mind you staying down here?” Joshua asks because he can’t help the curiosity. The relationship Jeonghan had with the captain still confuses him, the man himself confuses him.

Jeonghan shakes his head. “No. He knows I can’t help it. He knows I’m no use up there.”

“He still cares for you,” Joshua says because it’s true. Seungcheol tried to kill Jeonghan, but it’s still true.

Joshua wonders if he could kill for love.

“Just stay with me.”

Joshua pulls him closer as the storm rages outside. He presses a kiss into the top of Jeonghan’s head, breathing in his familiar scent. He smells like the sea and like sweat, but it's not bad. He mostly just smells like Jeonghan, like comfort, like home. “Don’t worry, I will stay with you for as long as you need me.”

☠

Another few weeks go by and one evening when he’s sitting on the deck happily eating the variation of stew Mingyu cooked up. This time it's seaweed and shellfish and spiced with something picked up at the port they stopped at a few days prior. He feels happier than he can ever remember. He has people he can talk to, considers friends. He works hard and goes to sleep satiated. It’s not a life he would have ever considered, and sure, the hygiene is bad, and the food could be better, but he’s still happy.

Jeonghan is humming a tune softly next to him. They’ve reached a level of comfortable where words aren’t always needed, and it’s nice.

He looks out at the water, where the sun is setting. The waters shine in a light like precious gemstones, but when Jeonghan glances over and his eyes catch in the light, Joshua realizes there's little competition between the two beauties. Then he realizes something.

“Are you my friend?” Joshua asks, feeling stupid doing so, but he wants an answer. He's spent the past two weeks considering his relationship with the other man and how it's developed, how they've both changed, opened up to each other. He's no longer treated as a captive. Instead, he's part of the crew in almost every way.

Jeonghan raises a brow as he tucks his bangs behind his ear. It's a constant habit, Joshua has realized. At first, he thought Jeonghan was doing it to try to look sexy, show off his features. He realizes it's not that now, it's a simple gesture, soft with no mirth behind it.

“I should hope so, you bastard.”

“I mean, you did kidnap me,” Joshua reminds him. It seems so impossible that he's become so close with the man who threatened him with a blade all those nights ago. “I am on this ship because of you, not of my own volition.”

“Are you _still_ mad about that, ‘Shua?” Jeonghan asks rolling his eyes and taking a bite of stew. He likes the stews he'd confessed to Joshua after his second week on board. Joshua had already begun to tire of them, and Jeonghan had commented on how he was lucky to be rather fond of the dish. “I thought you were over that.”

Joshua frowns and hits him on the thigh with his spoon. His manners have gone to shit since living with pirates. It's no wonder they haven't guessed he's the prince they're all searching for. “I have a life you know! One that you rudely interrupted.”

“Oh, well. Are you married?” Jeonghan asks, continuing to eat. It's asked flippantly, more teasing than anything. But there's a genuinely curious look in Jeonghan's eyes as he looks to him for an answer.

His frown deepens. “No,”

“Why not? Aren’t noblemen always supposed to be marrying for power and wealth and alliances? I mean, I guess you are from a pretty remote village, right. What’s its name again?”

Joshua takes another bite of his stew, then scrapes the dented bowl loudly, getting the last of it. He’s avoiding the question because he doesn’t know the answer. He had spitefully forgotten the name of the village after arriving, ordering the servants not to mention it and remind him of his unfortunate circumstances.

“Just because I wasn’t married didn’t mean I didn’t have other things to draw my attention to.”

“You’re saying you had affairs like any other nobleman? _Boring_.” Jeonghan waves a slender hand in the hair. Joshua briefly wonders what sorts of affairs the other man has been a part of, not that's any of his business really. But besides Seungcheol he's made no comments on romantic relations or otherwise. “No, really. Remind me of the name of the village you’re from.”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s tiny. You’ve probably never heard of it.” He says reaching for Jeonghan’s empty bowl.

Jeonghan leans away, taking his bowl out of reach. He's smirking at him like he's trying to outdo the devil, Joshua swears. “Why? Are you embarrassed? I don’t care where you’re from ‘Shua, don’t you know that? We’re friends, remember? We’re honest with each other.

The words feel like a punch to the stomach.

Joshua stands and grabs the bowl, rolling his eyes before he brings them below deck. “You lie like a whore on at their wedding,” he says, refusing to make eye contact. “frequently and about everything.”

“Be nice to whores! They’re hard-working people!” Jeonghan calls at him as he walks away.

“I know! I meant no disrespect!” he shouts back, laughing. He hopes it doesn’t sound as hollow as it feels.

☠

Joshua usually waits below deck when the _Dragon’s Wings_ take another ship. Jeonghan advised him of this in the first few days onboard. He usually spends the time resting or hanging out blankets, listening to the sounds above, trying to imagine what’s going on.

He can’t focus on the work in front of him, listening instead, too worried about Jeonghan. Which is a new development. He worries that the other ship will be better stocked in weapons than they anticipate, that they’re unmarked military, that they’re worse than Seungcheol and his crew could ever be.

When Jeonghan comes rushing below deck, his hair fallen out of his tie and into his face messily. It’s half relief and half worse nightmare. It’s partially nightmare because Joshua knows they’re still amid their piracy, of taking the other ship. The only reason Jeonghan would come down is if there’s nobility on board for Joshua to identify.

He runs to Jeonghan, grabbing the other man's arms and looking up over quickly for any harm. He seems alright, a bit sweaty with his shirt sticking to his chest. Joshua breathes a sigh of relief he's unharmed. 

“Come up,” he pants, running a hand through his hair. “the merchant ship turned out to have some important passengers on board. One’s a young man, he could be the prince. I need you, come on.”

And well, Joshua will be here as long Jeonghan needs him. Which, he realizes, maybe his down falling.

The midday sun is shining brightly out of the deck, blinding him slightly as he makes his way up from below. There are trunks and barrels, various goods that have been stolen from the other ship. The crew are all looking high strung and curious, stopped in the middle of the fight. They're sweaty from moving goods, from fighting. Joshua notices a few of the blades still hanging from their hands are slick with blood, dark and quickly drying in the hot sun.

Near the centre of the deck there’s a young man, clearly, a nobleman from his dress, bound and gagged in front of Seungcheol. Joshua approaches him slowly, feet feeling leaden in his boots. He's afraid to see the man's face, afraid for the stranger to see his face and recognize him.

 “Joshua!” The Seungcheol, the captain calls when he sees him. He sounds so hopeful, in such high spirits. “Good, come here. Tell us, is this our man?”

“He’s handsome enough to be a prince,” Mingyu comments as Joshua passes.

Seungkwan sighs loudly, “’Gyu, you need to get laid.”

When he gets the captain and looks at the captor, Joshua’s heart stops.

The captive’s eyes widen at the sight of him.

“Well?” Jeonghan asks excitedly, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “Do you know him?”

And then, Joshua knows it’s over. Everything is about to crumble.

“Yes,” he says honestly, “but he’s not the prince.”

The man in front of him is tall, slender, handsome with a strong jaw and sharp eyes behind round spectacles. His face is familiar to him as the king’s. He’s grown up alongside Joshua, known him for most of his life. And he’s to be Joshua’s ruin.

“Who is it then?” Jeonghan asks giddily. He practically buzzing, months worth of excitement finally climaxing at this moment. 

He figures there’s no point in lying, not when the truth will come out when they remove the gag to question him. “Jeon Wonwoo. The son of the king’s advisor.”

“Remove his gag,” Seungcheol orders, and Seokmin steps up to do so quickly. “Now, answer honestly or you’ll find yourself a long swim home. Or worse, I’ll give you to Mingyu.”

Jeonghan sniggers beside him, but Joshua can’t even manage a smile. He’s going to miss all of this, the friends he’s made. Jeonghan especially. He’s become the closest friend he’s ever had, even if he’s had to lie about who he was, he still was honest about the rest.

“Tell me,” Seungcheol demands, “do you know the location of Prince Jisoo?”

Wonwoo clears his throat before nodding. “I do.”

Jeonghan lets out a high laugh, squeezing Joshua closer to him. “Fucking knew this would work,” he says leaning into Joshua’s ear, “love you for this, ‘Shua.”

“Where is he, then?” Seungcheol prods. “Where is he being hidden away?”

Wonwoo’s eyes land on him, and they’re searching for some answer, for some way out that doesn’t get them both killed. But then Seokmin pulls out his cutlass and rests the blade against the back of Wonwoo’s neck, he swallows and sends a final pleading look at Joshua.

“Do you want me to give you an honest answer? Even if you don’t like the answer? Even if it makes you look like a fool?” he asks, his low voice thick with angst.

Jeonghan looks to Joshua quizzically. “Tell us,” he says, “I’ve been searching for the prince for months.”

Wonwoo licks his lips. “Well, you have your arm around him.”

“What?” Jeonghan asks, shaking his head. “No, you’re mistaken. This is _Joshua_. He’s of fair birth, yes, but he’s my _friend_. He’s been on board for weeks, trying to help us _find_ the prince.”

“The royal family doesn’t use given names when addressing each other informally. They all have pet names, nicknames,” Wonwoo says softly, looking down. “Joshua is Jisoo’s. That’s what he goes by. And the king sent me to look for Joshua at the remote fishing village north of here, Gulls Town. That’s where he’d stayed, banished to, really. But he was taken by pirates at night in a raid a few weeks ago. They even took his guitar the housekeeper said.”

Joshua flinches at the last detail, the nail in his coffin.

Everyone is looking at him now, their eyes heavy on him like a blanket he can’t shake off in the night, only to slowly suffocate. He wouldn’t hate this so much, could accept his fate if it wasn’t for Jeonghan. Jeonghan makes all of this hurt in a way that’s unfamiliar and unforgettable.

“Is that true?” Seungcheol asks, eyes aflame, looking at him. “Did you know about this?” he shoots at Jeonghan. Because he has to assume Jeonghan knows with how close they’ve become, how inseparable.

Jeonghan shakes his head again, slowly removing his arms around Joshua’s shoulders. It had found a home there in this past few months, become a comfort to both of them.

“I…didn’t want to believe it,” Jeonghan says after a long moment. “I was fighting every instinct I had for you,” He pulls Joshua’s royal signet ring from his pocket. Joshua had forgotten about his ring, hadn’t even noticed it was gone. “but I had a suspicion. I kept waiting for you to tell me yourself, ‘Shua.” He says, voice cracking. "I kept telling myself that if you really were the prince you'd tell me. I guess I was wrong. I allowed myself to be fooled by you, grown soft, trusting. I won't make that mistake again."

Joshua feels sick, anger and regret making his head spin and his stomach roll.

Seungcheol grabs the ring, examining the royal crest on it.

“I wanted to, trust me I did.” Joshua knows his words will be dust in the wind by now, their time gone. “but I didn’t know what would happen.”

“The same thing that’s always been the plan,” Jeonghan replies, voice harsh, final.  “The prince will be traded for ransom, and I’ll find myself a rich man.”

Joshua’s throat feels too dry, and he reaches out for Jeonghan for some final hope. “You know I’m not just a prince. That doesn’t matter. I’m your friend remember, Han? _I’m your ‘Shua_ , I know you. I know about your mother and your scar and your nightmares and how you don’t even hate eating stew more than half the week!”

“Yeah, I told you all of that because I thought we were my _friend_.” Jeonghan’s voice is dangerous now, nothing like Joshua’s ever heard before. It sounds like it could brew storms and destroy ships, but he fears it may just destroy him. “I was honest with you, vulnerable with you because I thought I could trust you. I guess I was wrong.”

“ _Hannie, wait_!” Joshua cries, but he knows it’s too late. He's lost him now. Maybe forever.

“Lock them both up in my cabin,” Seungcheol orders. “we need to finish taking this ship and head to the capital. We have a ransom to collect.”

☠

Joshua has never quite understood the concept of remorse until now. He always just shrugged off his wrongdoings, justified them to himself, because that was always enough. But now it isn’t.

“Your father will be glad you’re alive,” Wonwoo tells him after they’ve been locked up for the better part of an hour. He's lounging with his long legs swung over the arm of a chair in front of the window. They'd dug through the contents of Seungcheol's cabin, through the desk and the rest looking for any leverage only to come up short. Wonwoo did find a ranchy book about a sailor and a tentacled sea creature, which he's begun to read.

Joshua sighs from Seungcheol's small bed pressed against the far wall. It's the first bed he's laid in months, and well, he thinks he prefers the rocking of the hammocks to this straw-stuffed mattress. “Will he? I honestly didn’t think he cared much for me anymore.”

“Well, I mean, you did try to start a war beneath everyone’s noses,” Wonwoo says, giving him a side glance through his spectacles. “You probably could have succeeded too if you didn’t get caught up in the romantic ploys involved.”

Joshua laughs coldly at the accusation. “The romance was not on my side of any of the affairs. If others could learn to keep their promises and mouth’s shut it would have been fine. Loose lips sink ships, you know? And I wasn’t _trying_ to start a _war_. I was trying to make a better deal, a better alliance. More than our fathers ever do. They just talk pretty and get nothing done.”

“You know, I think I’m the only one who’s never underestimated you,” Wonwoo says, giving him a half-smile. “I always found myself thinking: _you know what? I bet you if Josh got his shit together, he could take over the world_.”

The compliment is ridiculous with maybe only a sliver of truth in it, but it still makes Joshua laugh, makes him smile. It also reminds him of Jeonghan. He often found himself wondering what kind of powerful man Jeonghan could have been if he hadn’t been born a bastard, if he was the legitimate son of a nobleman. The two of them make quite the pair now, imagine then. Or, they _had_ made the pair. Joshua’s ruined that now.

“Well, I won’t be taking over the world any time soon. If you hadn’t noticed, we’ve been taken by pirates.”

“Yes, a rather unfortunate turn of events.” Wonwoo comments, closing the book he's been holding and failing to read. “Which one is Mingyu?”

“What?” The question takes Joshua off guard and makes him laugh when he realizes its source. Seungcheol's off-handed threat about giving Wonwoo to him. “Mingyu is the cook. The tall one, dopey smile, kind of looks like a puppy.”

“Mhmm.”

Joshua raises a brow. “I thought and Soonyoung were a thing? That good ‘ole best friends to lovers type deal.”

“He’s going through a wild streak right now,” Wonwoo frowns. “A bit of delayed teenage rebellion maybe, I don’t know.” He pauses, throwing Joshua a side glance. “What about you? You seemed mighty close with that pretty long-haired man you had a bit of a scene with. I have never seen you worked up about anything, let alone _anyone_.”

“When my father sent me away, I think he wanted me to change. I was praised for my looks, for my mannerism, for my very polished and refined princeliness.” Joshua says, giving his old friend a half-smile. “But when I was my true self it got me into nothing but trouble, and the thing is, I could never consider it trouble.”

 “Maybe that’s where the true trouble lies,”

“I think the true trouble lies in the heart.”

“Now that we’ve proven you have one.” Wonwoo adds, smirking. “only took you, what? Twenty-three years?”

“I fear it doesn't matter anymore. I’ve only found it to have it broken.” Joshua confesses, sighing, and flopping his head against Seungcheol's singular pillow. It feels like a rock.  “What I did was out of self-preservation. It wasn’t done with the intentions of hurting Jeonghan. I didn’t want to hurt him. And it wasn’t like we started as the best of friends, that handsome bastard _kidnapped_ me!”

Wonwoo laughs, nose scrunching. It’s a familiar sight to Joshua, and it reminds him of his childhood, and of home. But his home is different now, it's not a place, let alone a palace. “Seems like you two have a complicated relationship.”

“Exactly! I do think I deserve another chance.” Joshua says.

“For what?”

“ _To tell Jeonghan that I love him.”_

☠

 


	2. Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello im back from being depressed and overwhelmed w school

He stays locked up in the captain’s cabin with Wonwoo for the rest of the day. They spend most of the time either lost in private thought, or Wonwoo updating him on the current affairs of the nation. It turns out that since the alliances Joshua had been trying to form had fallen through, the king had found himself quite unpopular, both at home and abroad.

Joshua thinks that maybe after he’s been ransomed back, if his father decides to even pay, that it may be time for him to try again at the political game of chess. He’d been winning until he hadn’t.

It’s dark when Mingyu knocks on the cabin door and peers in, eyes down as he shuffles in with two bowls of food. He’s a tall man, handsome face hiding the fact he’s a soft-hearted fool and hasn’t quite learned what to do with his long limbs. At least in Joshua’s assessment during his time on board.

“Ah, thank you,” Wonwoo says, getting up and taking a bowl. He offers a bit of a crooked smile at the taller boy.

Joshua rolls his eyes at the blush on Mingyu’s face.

“Tell the captain I wish to speak to him,” Joshua says, getting up and retrieving his own bowl of food. “If I’m to be ransomed, I wish to know the terms.”

Mingyu gives him a hesitant look like he can’t quite trust Joshua now with the knowledge that he’s a prince, reading every word differently. It’s not quite fair, he’s the same person, and they always knew he was of aristocratic birth. Does his father being the king make that much of a difference? Especially now when his position is apparently so precarious?

“I will ask,” he says, bowing quickly before heading to the door. Mingyu’s gaze flicker’s back to Wonwoo, and the bastard is smirking right back at him. Joshua holds back a groan as Mingyu blushes hard, the colour reaching down his neck as he closes the door. The lock clicks behind him.

“What are you planning?” Wonwoo asks, his smirk gone and instead replaced with a knowing look. One of suspicion, but also hope.

“I’m not sure yet,” Joshua answers honestly, turning his attention to his supper. “but I’m not just going to sit here and be bartered for like a roll of silk.”

Wonwoo chuckles, turning to his own supper, “very expensive silk, but sure.”

When the captain does finally come, it’s hours later. The moon is high in the sky and Joshua’s half asleep on the couch.

“’Gyu said you wanted to discuss the terms of your ransom?” the captain looks annoyed and sounds unimpressed. “I will tell them to you simply. I will offer the king his living son for fifteen chests of gold and two new ships, or I will offer him the body of his son and go and raid every village along the coast until he agrees.”

“I see you’re not even going to try to charm him,” Joshua says, sitting up. “smart choice. He’s a bit of a fool, really.”

The captain raises a brow at that. “What is that you want Joshua? To mock me further? What point are you trying to prove?” he asks, tone bitter, disgusted.

“I think you’re making a mistake.”

“How?”

This is his probably his only chance to sell another option. Joshua tries to think big picture, ignoring the ache in his chest and remorse he feels. He won’t beg to see Jeonghan, he’s not that foolish. He has more important matters at hand, he wasn’t born to concern himself with petty matters of the heart, even when that’s all he truly wishes to do.

“My father doesn’t care for me, not after what I did. He’s losing power and influence, quite quickly from what Wonwoo’s said.” He throws a glance in the direction of his friend who’s silently listening from the chair. “There’s a chance for a coup d'état any time, his soft hand at ruling is to be his downfall.”

The captain stares at him, brows furrowed, arms crossed. “And what? I don’t care if your father loses his crown. I just want my gold.”

“I’m nothing like my father,” Joshua begins, trying to keep his voice even, confident. Trying to make the captain feel like he’s being let in on a secret; like he’s valuable, important.

Wonwoo nods at this but doesn’t move, staying out of the conversation. He’s waiting for Joshua to make his move.

“What are you, then? From what you’ve shown aboard my ship is that you’re nothing but a liar, an actor, a cheat. You fooled everyone, lulling us into complacency with your soft smiles and gentle words.” The capital spits on the floor. “It’s no wonder Jeonghan likes you so much. Too bad you didn’t decide to include him in your little secret. You’ve lost him now too.”

Joshua knows the captain isn’t a bad man, not really. Sure, he’s a pirate, but there are far worse crimes in this world than theft. He is a caring man despite his tough exterior, Joshua’s been onboard long enough now to know that the captain takes the time to talk to each member of the crew, check up on them. He cares, whether he wants to admit it. Joshua would consider it a weakness, except for the fact that it seems to make them all better pirates. And he knows that the hurt and anger the captain is expressing towards him is because he feels Joshua has done a harm against the crew as a whole.

“Don’t you dare speak to me about Jeonghan,” Joshua says, voice dropping. “I didn’t tell him because of my own faults. I was scared, okay? Is that what you want me to admit? I didn’t tell Jeonghan because I was scared to lose him.”

The captain laughs coldly at him. “If you think he loves you, you’re wrong. He only loves himself. Whatever he’s done to get you wrapped around his little finger, it’s clearly worked. That’s what he does, alright? He doesn’t care about you, no matter what he’s said.” He pauses, shaking his head. “Maybe you two really are meant for each other, but as I said, you’ve lost him now.”

Joshua feels rage burning in his stomach. “If you even cared to listen to what I had originally planned to say, you may have ended up a rich man. Richer than even my father can make you. But I’m tired of this, leave. I wish you the best of health.”

The captain doesn’t even bother to give him a second glance as he slams the door behind him. Seungcheol’s a good man, a caring man, but he’s lost to Joshua and his cause.

“Wishing your enemy the best of health really is a power move,” Wonwoo comments, throwing him a side glance.

“He’s not my enemy,” Joshua says with a sigh. “He’s just an obstacle, a pawn in this larger game.”

“Not a player?”

Joshua lays back down on the couch, eyes fluttering closed. “He’s played his moves. He only has the one left, and well, I’m not sure if he’ll even get the chance to use it.”

“What were you going to offer him? Your plan?”

The door creaks open slowly, and they both turn to look at the figure in the doorway. It’s hard to see in the dim candlelight, but when he takes a step closer Joshua’s heart skips a beat.

“Jeonghan?”

“What were you going to offer him?” Jeonghan repeats, carefully shutting the door behind him. He’s fully dressed, his jacket on and a knapsack slung across his back and cutlass on his hip. “Do share.”

Joshua sits up, resisting the urge to run to the other man and throw his arms around him, pull him into a tight embrace. “If what Wonwoo says is true about the instability of my father’s place on the throne, I think I have a chance.” He doesn't know how much Jeonghan has listened to.

“A chance?” Jeonghan echoes.

“I have many friends at court. At other courts. If my fathers to fall, I have the strongest claim.” Joshua says, watching Jeonghan’s expression, the flickering of the candlelight reflecting in his eyes. “As I said, I’m nothing like my father. I’m not afraid to do unthinkable things.”

Jeonghan looks at him, stares hard, searching. “You really are the prince, aren’t you ‘Shua?”

He laughs softly, nodding once. “I’m afraid so.”

“Were you really scared?” Jeonghan asks, licking his lips. “I mean, I guess I would have been too, especially at first. But what about later? You didn’t think I’d listen to you?”

“I was afraid you would listen to me and hand me over for ransom still,” Joshua admits, looking down at his hands. They’re so big and boney, but somehow, they always fit perfectly with Jeonghan’s. “I’m sorry. I should have…I should have trusted you. You’re my closest friend, and well, I haven’t been a terribly good friend to you, and I’m sorry.”

Jeonghan shrugs, posture loosening. “Well, I can hardly you blame you,” he says, mouth pulling up into a half smile. “I did spend the entirety of our friendship talking about how I wish I could find the damn prince and hand him over for money. I feel like a bit of a fool now, knowing that I was talking about you _to_ you .”

Wonwoo snickers at this, “sorry, you two continue.”

“If I could do it over, I’d tell you,” Joshua says, standing up.

Jeonghan shrugs again, running a hand through his hair. “ _Well_ , that may not have ended well. Perhaps you did do the right thing.” He reaches out to Joshua, throwing an arm around his shoulder, pulling him tight into a side hug. “So, my prince. You want to be king?”

Joshua lifts a brow and smiles darkly. “If my father has to fall from power, it’s only right for me to be there to pick up the pieces. I am the heir.”

“My darling, _my absolute villain of a prince_ ,” Jeonghan says, laughing, “shall I get the three of us off this damn ship and to the capital? I’m sure there are allies you can contact quickly enough. And then it’s only a matter of time before there’s a crown placed upon your head.”

“And you’ll be there?”

Jeonghan nods, smiling, eyes softer. “As long as you need me.”

“Wonwoo,” Joshua says, glancing over at where his childhood friend has been watching them. “do you think Jeonghan looks a bit familiar? Has an aristocratic way to him? Maybe related to the Choi or Yoon peerage from the south, maybe?”

“Aye, he does seem to have the aristocratic curve of the cheekbones,” Wonwoo says, studying Jeonghan. “Why?”

Joshua shrugs, smirking at them both. “Ah, well, I just thought it’d be good to have some basis for putting him on the throne next to me.”

“ _What_?” Jeonghan coughs, taking a step back to look at him, eyes wide. “You cannot be serious, ‘Shua. How would that even work? What do you intend to do? Marry me?”

“That’s exactly what I intend to do, you fool,” Joshua says, reaching out and holding the other man’s shocked face between his hands. “I love you, can’t you see?”

And with that, he leans forward and kisses Jeonghan like he’s been wanting to do for weeks. It’s sweet and gentle, but then it’s not, and Joshua finds himself moaning softly and leaning into Jeonghan.

“You _bastard_ ,” Jeonghan curses with a grin when they pull apart. “if you’d told me that and then dropped the prince thing, all of this could have been a lot easier.”

“Just say you love me too, and that you’ll never change,” Joshua says, brushing their noses together slightly. His head is spinning, and all he can focus on is the man in front of him. He’s never thought that’d he’d ever fall in love, that he’d become weak for someone like he is now, but he can’t help it. And he wouldn’t change it for the world. “I need to know you’ll always be by my side, always horrible and perfect.”

Jeonghan laughs, loud enough that Joshua fears they may be caught, but it doesn’t matter. Not now that he’s finally in the arms of the man he loves. “If you’re asking me to help you rule because you know no one else is this calibre of evil, then I suppose I can’t say no.” he presses a quick kiss to Joshua’s lips. “Just don’t ever lie to me again, or you’ll find yourself with a blade in your back.”

“I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Joshua says, kissing him again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you're like okay...now what?  
> well, it's up for interpretation and maybe someday i'll expand but probs not lol uni is my worst enemy why do i pay to suffer  
> but like does it matter if they take the ship and become pirate kings and rule the sea or overthrow the government and sit upon the throne? does any of it really matter as long as their together?  
> huh? much to think about my friends

**Author's Note:**

> find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/checkinsbitch/)


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